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Post by dj on Mar 20, 2013 5:40:04 GMT 10
Hi Tom,
I was wondering would it be possible for you to give us a breakdown of a close to a perfect feed for a racing greyhound that covers all vitamins etc, well as close as possible. Example lets say you need to feed total of 3.5lbs( morning and evening).
It would be a handy guide to know that a bowl of feed consists of 30% beef protein-40% kibble (20%) carbs-20% veg etc etc. there is so much stuff out there now you could be feeding everything and anything. many thanks
regards
dj
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Post by Tom Meulman on Mar 20, 2013 18:36:57 GMT 10
Hi dj,
Sorry mate but I’m not going to get into the dilemma of trying to provide a diet that will be everything to every greyhound in every situation.
Nor do I wish to get involved in what is the better meat ......... beef, chicken, horse, roo or camel .......... all are available in Australia.
Then if you feed beef such as ox cheek, should you feed chicken with it, and what percentage?
What brand kibble (dry food) is best and why, or should you feed wholemeal bread?
As you can see it is a mine field with no way through as then the diet needs to vary to suit each individual greyhound, their health, their age, and the type of work they are involved in, and all that without looking at additives, or the pro’s and con’s of feeding a complete meal dry food.
Cheers, Tom
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Post by dj on Mar 20, 2013 23:05:31 GMT 10
Thats fair enough Tom, I appreciate its a vast topic in itself.
Regards
DJ
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Post by Barry on Feb 4, 2014 7:12:40 GMT 10
Tom I have been reading an article which explains why they believe dogs should only be feed once every 24hrs. They say a dogs stomach is like a concerteena and only expands to the size in relation to the meal fed It explains that the larger the meal the more digestive juices are released or come into play. The 24hours give the dog ample time to digest all the food which is available. Would you agree with this or do you think we are on the right track with two meals per 24hours?
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Post by Tom Meulman on Feb 4, 2014 18:27:49 GMT 10
Hi Barry,
I of course have no idea as to what evidence the opinions of that article are based on or if the author has any practical and/or academic experience in this regard. All I can go by is what I have learned in what is now close to a fifty year involvement in caring for and racing greyhounds.
As far as my own experience is concerned, and that includes an episode where of one of my greyhounds accidentally found access to a large quantity of food, eating this (most likely scoffing it down as fast as possible), suffered a twisted bowl as a direct result of this, which despite fast Veterinary intervention resulted in the dogs demise.
I have found no benefit at all and only negative effects of feeding one large meal, and if it is only one meal every 24 hours it needs to be a large meal.
Several points to keep in mind; A large meal places pressure on the digestive system as the food in a distended stomach is shunted through the intestines at a slightly faster rate due to this pressure and does result in a less than ideal nutrient absorption rate.
Feeding just one large meal in 24 hours makes it extremely difficult for a trainer to time food absorption, and provide the type of food that is ideal in fortifying the greyhound with the required energy just at the right time to provide maximum benefits for a specific race.
A huge number of greyhounds suffer from pre-race nerves and therefore benefit greatly from having a nutritious meal in the morning on race day as this will settle the dogs stomach down and assists in reducing that sick feeling which is a result of the pre-race nerves.
Greyhounds do everything about twice as fast as humans, and that does not only apply to running speed but also to the speed at which the body heals and uses energy, most importantly they are a hard working athlete that needs a constant supply of energy.
There is no way that one meal every 24 hours is going to be able to satisfy those needs.
Humans when engaged in hard physical work, or for instance riding in the Tour de France require food around every hour to stop them from bonking.
A number of times I have heard trainers comment that their greyhounds trailed extremely well at such and such a track, but then raced poorly at the same track. Then they are stupid enough to blame the greyhound for not chasing hard enough during the race, but forget that 90 percent of the trails were done early in the morning before it got to hot, but that the race was held late in the evening.
Early in the morning the greyhound had the energy benefit from the meal the night before, but that is long gone by the time race night comes around, and then the poor dog is expected to race on a breakfast of a couple of wheatbix in some watered down milk or a 4x2 biscuit. Sheesh.
Rant over LOL
Cheers, Tom
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Jason (the other Jason)
Guest
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Post by Jason (the other Jason) on Feb 7, 2014 0:11:58 GMT 10
^^ A correct rant nonetheless
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Post by Brian on Feb 25, 2014 18:22:45 GMT 10
Tom you mention (Vegetable oils, when added to the diet may reduce the absorption of essential fatty acids normally obtained from a meat diet, and this reduces the body's ability to synthesize some essential steroid hormones.)
Does this iclude oils like Rice bran Oil, Flax seed oil and Soya Bean oil, Sunflower seed oiil etc? I assume but not sure if it includes fish oils . Thank you in advance
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Post by Tom Meulman on Feb 26, 2014 7:55:38 GMT 10
Hi Brian,
This applies to all vegetable oils but not fish oils. However many vegetable oils can supply beneficial ingredients such as omega 3 and omega 6.
When I wrote that article I was more concerned with a situation common at that time where trainers were using extremely lean meat to feed their racing greyhounds, such as roo meat, and only supplying fats in the diet in the form of a vegatable oil.
The addition of small quantities of a vegetable oil specifically to provide omega 3 and 6 to the diet can only be beneficial providing sufficient animal fats are included as these are also an important source of energy.
Cheers, Tom
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Post by Glenn on May 5, 2014 21:20:24 GMT 10
Hi Tom
What would you suggest a sensible morning meal would be on a race day or race night more so?
For example,at 7am if I fed half sized meal (meat & kibble), will this be detrimental to a performance at 7pm?
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Post by Tom Meulman on May 6, 2014 4:47:49 GMT 10
Hi Glen,
I certainly do not believe it would be detrimental in any way, and IMHO will more than likely prove to be advantagious.
I have always believed that when greyhounds are predominantly racing in the evening the morning meal should be a nutritious meal, and at least half of their normal food intake for the day.
So much of the ingrained feeding habits that exist for racing greyhounds are an unwanted heritage of the live hare coursing days when these mainly occured very early in the day.
Cheers, Tom
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Post by Glenn on May 6, 2014 6:44:15 GMT 10
Thanks Tom
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Post by Wendy on Mar 20, 2017 21:38:29 GMT 10
Hi. Just found this while looking into what racing greyhounds are fed. I volunteer at an animal welfare and there is a newly surrendered greyhound that won't eat. She's been given hill's food. Mix of tinned and dry and whatever else has been on hand. Best she's done til now is nibble at some dry food with a mince and gravy type tinned food.. she's had a drip, but she chewed through the line ... she's getting quite weak and we are very concerned for her welfare. Can you give me any tips on what we can give her to get her into a standard diet?
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Post by Tom Meulman on Mar 21, 2017 8:56:10 GMT 10
Hi. Just found this while looking into what racing greyhounds are fed. I volunteer at an animal welfare and there is a newly surrendered greyhound that won't eat. She's been given hill's food. Mix of tinned and dry and whatever else has been on hand. Best she's done til now is nibble at some dry food with a mince and gravy type tinned food.. she's had a drip, but she chewed through the line ... she's getting quite weak and we are very concerned for her welfare. Can you give me any tips on what we can give her to get her into a standard diet? Hi Wendy, Sorry about my lateness in replying, unfortunately I do not always have the Internet available while traveling. If the situation is severe enough where you are concerned the dog may not survive someone is going to have to go to a supermarket and buy a cooked chicken and feed her little bits to get her to start eating again. Keep in mind that there is a high probability that the dog will be feeling nauseous and if it's available a Stemetil tablet twice daily around an hour before trying to feed her should help. In addition the smell of the food is extremely important and at this point in time the smell of some of the dry foods straight out of the sealed bag may just be too strong for her and increase the feeling of nausea. A dry food called GoodO made by Mars pet care and available at most supermarkets is generally well received by most greyhounds in the short term, and personally I have used them in training as a reward treat successfully with just about every greyhound I have had in my care. This product while in my opinion not being suited to long term use as a diet for racing greyhounds, it could certainly be used to improve appetite and help to maintain body weight and provide necessary nutrition in the short term. Cheers, Tom
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